Fighting
by katielgk
Summary: "We'll get you out of there bro," he said softly. Raph had no doubt they would. - None of them would ever give up on finding Raphael, but how long can faith hold out before the nightmares take over?
1. Chapter 1

Hey guys! Got a new chapter story for you. Well, actually it's an old OLD one. I posted this originally on a forum ages ago as a one-shot, and it was more of a poem at the time. It was a one-shot that wouldn't quit though, mostly because I just had to come up with a proper ending for it. This is still the shortest chapter of them all.

This IS set in the 2k3 'verse.

Please enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own the TMNT

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He heard voices.

Distant, hushed, familiar, and beautiful for how much he missed the ones they belonged to. Had it been only days? He didn't know. It felt like months that he'd been locked away in the dark. Beaten for nothing but for existing. Some hint of revenge was there, but he knew they did not plan on keeping him there much longer. Bleeding, and how much he'd lost he had no idea. They never dressed the wounds they inflicted. It was never enough to kill him, and that was the only sign he had that he wasn't supposed to die yet. He was dying...yet still alive. He held on, stubborn and fighting as he always did. If escape was possible, he wouldn't die in their hands. If not, he still would not be broken.

And he still clung to some hope that his brothers would come.

Raphael blinked blearily as the fuzz of sleep started to withdraw. _Where are they?_ All too soon the pain was shooting through every inch of his body. Broken ribs scraped together as he shifted, and his legs screamed underneath him, the blood circulating through them again. He leaned forward desperately, straining against the fire flaring up from open wounds to see through the bars caging him. There was only darkness. _No...I heard them..._

The voices of his tormentor's were easy to identify. Gravelly, full of hate, and carried an accent from outside the city Raph called home. He had only encountered them once before, and they had become a distant memory. He'd almost forgotten how dangerous they really were...But he didn't care about them now. The sounds echoing through the gray halls beyond his room were not those men.

He dared to hope for it once more. His brothers were here for him.

He bit back a moan as the voices came closer and he could finally make out the words.

"...should be close now..."

"Do you see him?"

"Maybe the next room..."

His eyes widened. _No! They can't leave!_

He opened his mouth, trying to yell to them. A weak gasp escaped his ragged lungs only. They had to hear, they had to hear him! _Please!_

"Wait..."

Raphael thanked the gods for their ninja training. Fearing they would proceed still, he jerked his body, forcing himself forward. The chains from his wrists clinked together, and a soft cry came out from both excitement and pain. He couldn't stop yet. He slammed his arms back until they smacked the wall, and then forward again. The sounds echoed around him in the chamber. Through it, he heard the words that filled him will a joy he rarely felt.

"He's here! Come on!"

If the chains were not holding him up he would've collapsed then. Instead he dropped his head in exhaustion, wincing when his skin pinched under the shackles around his wrists. A small stream of light broke into his small room, and a quiet bark of laughter choked out when he saw the familiar shadow on the floor.

"Raphael!"

He rolled his head back up to stare again through the bars. There was Leo, staring wide-eyed but relieved back at him. Leo pressed close the the bars, trying to close the distance.

"Don," he said calmly. Always calmly. He didn't need to finish the order. The purple-banded turtle had already appeared next to him and was examining the iron. Raph could see the gears turning in his brother's brain. Don looked him in the eye and gave a concerned smile.

"We'll get you out of there bro," he said softly. Raph had no doubt they would.

His eyes traveled tiredly to his youngest brother, whose blue eyes had met his as he knelt down and wrapped a hand tightly around one of the bars. Raph tried to reach towards them, to close this final gap, to finally go home with them. If he had to die, at least now it would be with his brothers.

He let out a moan of pain when his arms would not pull any further.

"Stay there Raphie..." Mikey said, giving him his lopsided grin. "We're coming to you."

_I've waited long enough..._ he thought, unable to speak still. But he trusted his brother's words.

He closed his eyes and it barely felt like a moment before his brothers were suddenly there. Donny was making quick work of the cuffs. Whatever magic science trick he'd used to get through the bars, he used on the chains and immediately took to checking his injuries as Leo and Mikey carefully laid him down. His head rested comfortably on Mikey's lap, and Raph didn't care about any act he'd put on before with them, he needed them close.

"Broken ribs, dislocated shoulder...this wrist is probably broken too, lots of open wounds, might be infected..." Don listed in a mutter.

"We've got to get him home," Leo said. "We don't have time."

A loud clang suddenly rang out and Raph looked up at Leo, startled.

"Don't..." he rasped.

Leo's brow furrowed in confusion.

Another clang. He knew what was coming...

"Don't leave," he gasped harshly. "Stay with me!"

Laughter.

Leo took his hand. "We won't leave you behind."

The vision swam together and into darkness before Raph, but his older brother's voice echoed calmly in his mind.

"We'll take you home Raph."

His eyes shot open as another clang rang out and white light flooded the room.

"Wake up Freak!"

Fearful anger welled up inside him and he growled at his captors. He pulled on the chains painfully, the growl almost turning into a whine. The dream was gone, his brothers with it.

_We'll take you home Raph._

He trusted his brother's words.

_I'm waiting for you Leo!_

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Can you guess who has captured poor Raph? For those who don't know the 2k3 series as well, I will explain later anything you will need to understand.

Reviews more than welcome and thanks for reading! Have a great day! :D


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello guys! It has been ages...Life went and caught up to me, the passed right by, and maybe lapped me a few times. At least I'm still in the race right? Thank you so much for your reviews and your patience!**

**Please enjoy this update! I'm sorry for such a long long wait for it, but thank you for reading!**

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He was waiting for them here. They had to be right this time.

Mikey couldn't deal with the thoughts that raced through his head if he ever stopped thinking that _this time _they would find him...

What if they were too late? What if it had been too long? That couldn't happen. Not with his brothers. Donny was a regular Sherlock Holmes; he was checking every lead, every source for every bit of intel he could pull. Leo too, was searching relentlessly throughout the city. When Raph had gone missing, they hadn't stopped for a moment looking for their lost brother and in the meantime, Mikey could either go crazy with worry or assure himself that everything would be fine.

They would find Raphael.

Mikey was brought back to the present when the man in front of him let out a yell of frustration from being disarmed. He smirked, waiting, and the man lunged at him. Mikey knocked him to the floor with a well placed strike on the side of his skull with a nunchuck. Looking up quickly, he saw Leo finishing off his own opponent. The elder brother locked eyes with Mike questioning him silently. Mikey gave him a quick thumbs up, a signal that he could handle the last four guards. Leo nodded, and went to help their purple-banded brother who was busy hijacking the computer systems.

Mikey whirled around, situating himself between his brothers and the guards. He grinned dangerously at them. "Who's first fellas?"

He was already in the air when the first of them raised his gun. Shurikens already pulled from his belt, he launched them at the thugs. Two hit true, ruining the trigger hands of the men closest to him. The third spinning blade glanced off the third man's wrist, leaving its mark, but only serving to distract him for a moment. Mikey landed directly in front of the fourth assailant, putting him out of commision with a quick punch to the side of the head. The third guard was recovering, and spun around to face Mikey, gun raised, but the turtle had already crouched down, swiping his legs out from under him. The thug's gun went off as he hit the floor, drawing a yell of pain from the orange-banded turtle as the bullet whizzed by, grazing his shoulder on the way.

"Mikey?" Leo called.

"I'm ok!" he answered. He grabbed the man's gun just above the trigger and shoved it back into the guy's face. There was a sickening crunch and the man was out cold. He made quick work of the last two. They had not had enough time to recover enough to even figure out where Mikey had gone before they were unconscious as well.

"Donny, have you found him?" Mikey heard Leo say. He stepped closer to them, keeping an eye on the door leading to the rest of the building. An alarm had not sounded yet, but he would be ready if it did.

Donny hesitantly answered Leo. "I-I think so," he squinted at the screen, worry etched into his face.

"I need you to be sure bro," Leo said a little harshly. He leaned in behind Don hoping to find any clue to their brother's whereabouts.

Donatello let out a shaky sigh as he leaned his weight into his hands on the desk and looked down. "If he's here this time," he said sorrowfully. "I know where he'll be. But if not..." He glanced up at Leo, who was standing up straight again.

"He's here," he said, and they all prayed it was true. Don unplugged his own handheld device from the computer, all the information he needed already downloaded. Leo moved down next to Mikey. He glimpsed his little brother's shoulder that had dripped enough blood it had run down his arm, falling to the floor from his elbow.

"It's fine Leo," Mikey said when the older turtle opened his mouth. "Just barely nicked me. We don't need to waste any time."

The corner of of Leo's mouth twitched. He couldn't help but smile a little at Mikey's determination. "Donny, got a bandage in that bag of yours?" Instantly, Don tossed a small roll of gauze over. Mike rolled his eyes at the pointed look Leo gave him, and lifted his arm to be wrapped.

"Don't forget to take care of yourself too bro," Leo muttered as he quickly tied off the strip. "What would Raph think if we were all bloodied up when we got to him?"

"We were supposed to make an impression?" Mikey said with a hollow laugh. "'Cause I forgot my suit and tie."

Leo patted Mikey's injured shoulder and flashed him a knowing smile. "Let's go get our brother," he said as Donny appeared next to them, ready to go.

Michaelangelo readied himself next to Don and Leo. Nothing on the other side of that door mattered but Raph. This would be the last time they went out searching, because they would all be going home, all four of them.

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**Ugh, I know, it's a short part...But don't worry! The next chapter is ready! Let me know what you thought of this one. :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**We finally find out who has Raphael! I want to reiterate, this story is set in the 2k3 universe. If you have never seen that series, or if you simply don't remember the villains mentioned here, please read my note at the end, and I'll give a brief explanation. Happy reading!**

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They traveled down the hallway, Leo and Mikey just behind Don who followed the blueprints of the area he'd downloaded. From the outside it looked like a simple warehouse, but underneath was some kind of bunker. From what he could tell, this was something of a storage reserve. Most rooms likely held cases of supplies and weapons. If Raphael was truly here, Don believed he would be locked away in one of those rooms.

It was pure luck that they were able to find this place at all, and none of them expected who their enemy really was. Their last lead led them to an old garage that fronted as a hideout for lower level Purple Dragons. They quietly infiltrated, and found no sign of Raphael. That night had left them all desperate and wondering if they would ever see their lost brother again. But with no where else to look, they staked out the location. It was Casey Jones who discovered the place was used for dealings between the Dragons and other smaller gangs. It was a pit of rumors and whispers, with each thread of gossip another possible connection to where Raphael could be.

And then finally, two lousy thugs entered the building and started talk about how they'd captured an "alien". It was enough of a clue, and the brothers were waiting for the men when they exited the building again. Before morning Leo had convinced one of the two to give a little more information.

The men were from a group that had recently been growing in size, and Donny knew they had dealt with them before. A few years back, while taking a break at Casey's farmhouse, Don, Mike, and Raph had a run in with the group that called themselves H.A.T.E. It was made up of survivalists who wanted to destroy aliens, and had somehow come by a heavy arsenal of weapons, including a thermonuclear device that they planned to set off in the heart of NYC. Donny and Raph together had put a stop to those plans. They never thought H.A.T.E was still out there...

Donatello gripped his PDA tightly. This was the best information they'd gotten in all their time searching. They were finally led out of the city, just into New Jersey. But he could be wrong again, and then what? How long could Raphael really last? His older, hot-headed brother spent almost as much time building muscle as Don himself did in his lab. When they first realized Raph was gone, of course he'd been worried, but Donny knew that Raphael was strong enough to make who ever captured him regret it long before they reached him. But the same thought led him to a sobering conclusion. These people were strong enough to capture Raphael. Knowing his brother, he was definitely fighting. And the harder and longer he fought, the more they would need to force him down again. If Raph was even kept alive, he may not even be whole.

Don felt a hand on his shoulder. His eyes snapped open and he realized he'd stopped moving. He looked sideways at the brother next to him.

"Donny," Leo said softly, concern was etched into his face as he scanned Don's.

"Sorry Leo," Don muttered. What was he doing? They had to move quickly; every second wasted was more time that Raphael was waiting for them. Donny pressed on, walking ahead of his brothers again. There was no time to be hesitant.

Leo caught up with him and matched his stride. "Listen Don," he said. "I'm sorry."

He flashed his eldest brother a confused look. "For what?"

"For putting so much pressure on you back there," Leo replied. "Through this whole search. I know you're doing everything you can, I don't need to stress you out any-"

"Leo, I won't be calm until we're safe at home with Raphael. Don't try and tell me you're feeling any different."

Leo gave him a small, but grim smile. "I know. I just don't want fear and panic to get the better of this team."

Donny moved on without answering. He checked the map again when they reached a T in the hall. He went left, and the other two followed. After a few moments he looked over at Leo again. "I'm not going to stop again. Who knows how he's doing now, we've got to find him."

Leo nodded once, and they continued on, determination in their steps.

The passageway bent up ahead, and Donny checked his PDA again as he turned it. Gunfire immediately rang out, and the gadget was fired out of his hand. He leapt backwards behind the corner again, swearing from the sudden attack.

"Did you get 'im?"

"I dunno, but I got his little alien gadget! It's probably some kinda phaser or somethin'!"

Leo glanced over Donatello, then caught his eye. "I'm fine," the brainy turtle mouthed. Leo nodded and carefully peeked around the corner. He glimpsed four men, all armed and coming towards them, before he ducked back for cover. With only a few short hand signals, he relayed his plan. Mikey and Don nodded once, and took position behind him. Leo threw a large smoke pellet into the hall, activating it, and they all attacked.

Donny ran as Leo had directed him. He used his bo to leap over the first three men and to the fourth, who was waving his blaster around, trying to find a target through the smoke. He was quickly dispatched, and when the smoke cleared seconds later, his brothers had taken out the other three as well. But something felt wrong. He heard movement behind him and whirled around.

"Say goodnight alien freak!"

Mikey's head shot up at the sound of electricity crackling and Don's startled cry. Leo was already racing to cut down the fifth man he hadn't seen. Donny had collapsed on the ground at his feet, and Mikey was at his side in a flash. The purple-banded turtle convulsed from the strong taze, and then went still.

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**Alrighty, so if anyone wants to find the episode detailed in this chapter, it is Season 3, episode 9 of the 2k3 cartoon. The episode is titled: H.A.T.E.**

**After an all out invasion of Earth by the Triceratons, the turtles go to Northhampton to take a break. Mikey, Don, and Raph run into this group that have decided that New York is the seat of all the crazy stuff that's going on (and really, they're not wrong), and in the name of "protecting the human race from aliens", they plan to set of a thermonuclear bomb in the middle of the city to get rid of any possible hidden aliens. One high speed car chase and plutonium core removal later, the turtles have saved the day, and all is well.**

**Ha! - Is what I have to say to that. Sorry for the cliffie, I will post more soon!**


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